Donald Trump Jr. secretly tied the knot with his second wife, Bettina Anderson, ahead of their Bahamas wedding — which the groom’s father, President Donald J. Trump, said he does not plan to attend.
Court documents obtained by Us Weekly show that the couple obtained a marriage license in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Thursday, May 21. The legal document was signed off by a deputy clerk, with real estate attorney Brad McPherson officiating the private ceremony.
The marriage license indicated that Anderson, a socialite and model, does not plan to take on “Trump” as her legal last name.
Us Weekly reached out to a rep for Donald Jr. for comment.
TMZ reported that Donald Jr., 48, and Anderson, 39, plan to tie the knot in an intimate private ceremony in the Bahamas over the Memorial Day weekend.
On the heels of Donald Jr. obtaining a marriage license, his father confirmed via Truth Social on Friday, May 22, that he will not attend the Bahamas celebration.
“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,” Donald, 79, announced. “I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina!”
The president previously expressed uncertainty on Thursday over whether he’d be able to fit the wedding into his schedule given the ongoing military conflict in Iran.
“He’d like me to go,” Donald told reporters. “It’s gonna be just a small, little private affair and I’m gonna try and make it. I said, ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things.’”
He added, “That’s one I can’t win on. If I do attend, I get killed. If I don’t attend, I get killed by the fake news, of course, I’m talking about.”
The president mentioned that he’s known Don Jr.’s fiancée for “a long time” and wished them “a great marriage.”
In December 2025, Anderson announced at a White House holiday party that she’d recently accepted Donald Jr.’s marriage proposal.
“It’s really been the most unforgettable weekend of my life, and I get to marry the love of my life,” Anderson told attendees. “I feel just like the luckiest girl in the world.”
At that same event, Donald Jr. shed some light on how he popped the question, revealing that he’d set up an elaborate proposal that required him to keep Anderson distracted at first.
He eventually asked Anderson “for that one word — yes,” adding, “She said ‘yes,’ so that’s a big win for the end of the year.”
This is the first marriage for Bettina — who is the daughter of late banking executive Harry Loy Anderson Jr. and model Inger Anderson.
Donald Jr. was previously married for 13 years to model Vanessa Trump, who announced this week that she is battling breast cancer. They share daughters Kai Madison, 19, and Chloe Sophia, 11, as well as sons Donald III, 17, Tristan Milos, 14 and Spencer Frederick, 13. (Donald Jr. and Vanessa separated in 2018 and settled their divorce that same year.)
